Pressing implement



I1/mentor,

v 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 26, 192 9.

NOV. 26, 192.9. HOFFMAN y 1,737,047

' Patented Nov. 26, 1929 UNITED STATES LOUIS HOFFMAN, OF ST. PAUL,MINNESOTA,

ASSIGNOR TO STEAM PRESSING IRON COM- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION F DELAWARE PRESSING IMPLEMENT Original application ledNovember 20, 1922, Serial No. 602,085. Divided and this applicationfiled May 7,

1928. Serial My invention Arelates to a pressing im-v plement such, forexample, as a flat iron or tailors goose, of the type provided withmeans for ejecting moisture in the form of steam against the goods orgarment being pressed, and this application is a division of i mycopending application, Ser. No. 602,085,

liled November 20th, 1922, which application has eventuated into PatentNo. 1,687 ,562, granted Oct. 16, 1928.

One of the objects of the invention 1s to construct the implement thatwhen the moisture supplied thereto is in the form of water it will bequickly generated into steam and vaporized and ejected against the workin a dry, highly heated, state. A diliculty experienced heretofore withWater fed steam pressing irons has been that when the iron was usedcontinuously for a considerable period of time the generating surfacesbecame cooled and as a result a wet steam, or even water, was ejectedfrom the perforations in the pressing face of the implement. My presentinvention insures a complete vaporization of the water by employingcerta-in novel constructions and arrangements to be hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Another diiiiculty encountered in connection with the use of watersupplied steam pressing irons arises from the tendency of the iuid ductsand ports to become scaled and clogged with mineral deposits from thewater. The scaling of the ducts in which the water is vaporized islikely to prevent the rapid ashing of the water into steam. The depositof mineral solids may go so far as to clog the Huid passages entirely.An important object of my present invention is to provide an implementwith a steam generating plate upon which the water is delivered andwhich receives any mineral de-- posit that may occur when vaporizationtakes place. It is the intention that the water be completelytransformed into steam before it leaves this element of the implement sothat no scaling can take place inthe ducts and ports between the plateand the pressing face of the implement. The 'plate is preferably formedand arranged so that any deposit of mineral solids may be readilyremoved. For example, the plate is preferably channeled on its uppersurface to r0- vlde an lopen water duct and is assem led with the otherparts of the im lement in such.

manner that it may be easi y removed Vfor cleaning. To insure thecomplete vaporization of the water a heating device is arranged adjacentto, preferably directly under, the plate and the fluid outlet from thechannel of the plate is in an upward direction.

A further object is to provide means whereby the steam generated asaforesaid is super-heated before being directed to the perforatedpressing face of the im lement. This expedient prevents condensation andmaintains or increases the pressure and tempreferred embodiment of theinvention shown.

in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 1s a vertical sectional elevation of myimproved form of pressing implement;

and

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views, in plan, taken on the lines, 22, 3 3, and 4.-4, respectively of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings:

The body of the iron consists of a hollow member 1, and two plates 2, 3,secured together and to said hollowmember by screws 4 or other suitablefastening means. The recess 5 of the hollow member 1 is closed at theback by a door 6 formed with a gas burner 7 supplied with gas fromflexible pipe 8. The steam generating duct 9 which is of sinuousconliguration (Fig. 2) is formed between the plates 2 and 3. Readyaccess is given to the duct for removal of scale by unscrewing 100 thescrews 4. Water enters duct 9 through the iexible water pipe 10, thenipplev 11 of which is screwed into a boss 12 in the top of the plate 3,which is formed with a perforation 13 communicating with duct 9. Thesteam generated in duct 9 passes downwardly .through passageway 14formed in a boss 15 at one rear corner of the member 1 into asuperheating duct 16 (Fig. 3) composed of a series of communicatingpassageways formed in member 1 back and on opposite sides of adepression or recess 17 in the lower part of said member, the purpose ofwhich is to bring the heat from burner 7 as close as possible to thedistributing duct in the base portion 18 of the implement. The passagesconstituting duct 16 may be formed, for convenience in manufacture, sothat they extend through the sides of the member 1 .and the ends of theducts closed by plugs 19. After the steam has passed through duct 16along the path as indicated by the arrows in Figure 3, it goes through arising passageway 20 in a boss 20EL on the inside of member 1 andthrough alignin ports 21, 22 and 23 in plates 2, 3, and va ve casing 24secured to plate 3, to a chamber 25 in the valve casing and from therethrough a down passage- Way 26, 27, 28, 29, to a distributing duct 30 inthe base 18 of the iron which consists preferably of a pair ofdiagonally disposed passageways 31 converging toward the toe of the ironconnected by transverse passages 32 and 33. The pressing faceperforations 34 lead from the distributing duct. Communication betweenduct 23 and duct 26 is controlled by a valve 35 having a stem 36 inthreaded relation at 37 with a bonnet 38 screwed into the side of valvecasing 24. The valve 35 is opened and closed by means of a thumb piece39 on an angular arm 40 fastened to the end of stem 36, the stemextending through a stuliing box 41 on bonnet 38. Any suitable means maybe employed for providing a vent from chamber 25 to the atmosphere forrelieving pressure in the steam generating and superheating ducts whenvalve 35 is closed. I have shown an automatically operated relief valve42 for such purose.

It will be observed that the steam generating superheating anddistributing ducts are arranged so that they are electively heated bythe llame in recess5. The ducts are of relatively small crossrsectionalarea in comparison to their length which makes it possible toeffectively convert the water into steam and develop a steam pressure inthe iron insuring ejection of steam through the pressing faceperforations at considerable velocity and elevated temperature, therebyaccomplishing the penetration of the'work by the steam jets which isessential particularly with heavy fabric. The aggregate length of theducts is considerable, the Walls of the body of the implement quitevthin, and the arrangement of the ducts such that all three of the ductsare, throughout their lengh, exposed to the heatfproduced within thehollow body of the implement. The products of combustion escape from thespace 5 through a port 43 at the forwardy end of the iron.

Realizing that theV principles of my invention could be utilized inother embodiments from that herein shown,I wish to be understood asclaiming all modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

1. In a pressing im lement of the moistening type adapted to e suppliedwith water for generation into steam and ejection as such against thework, the combination of a hollow body having a perforated pressingface, a heating device in said hollow body, and a pair of platesseparably secured together at the top of said hollow body and formed soas to provide between them a steam generating space to receive the watersupplied to the implement connecting said steam generating space to theperforated pressing face.

2. In a pressing im lement ofthe moisten-l ing type adapted to esupplied with water for generation into steam and ejection as suchagainst the work, the combination of a hollow body having a perforatedpressing face, a heating device in said hollow body, and a pair' ofplates separably secured together at the top of said hollow body andormed so as to provide between them a circuitous steam generating ductof small cross sectional area in comparison With its length to receivethe water supplied to the implement, connecting said steam generatingspace to the perforated pressing face.

3. In a pressing im lement of the moistening type adapted to e suppliedwith water for generation into steam 'and ejection as such against thework, the combination of a hollow body having a perforated pressingface, a heating device in said hollow body, and a pair of platesseparably secured together at the top of said hollow' body and lformedso as to provide between them a steam generating space to receive thewater supplied to the implement, said hollow body having formed in itsbase a duct or distribution of the steam to the pressing faceperforations and at the sides of the recess therein with a superheatingduct, connecting said steam generating space to the perforated pressingface 4. In a pressing implement of the moistening type adapted to besupplied with water for generation into steam and ejection as suchagainst the work, the combination of a body having a perforated pressingface, a heating device in said body, plates removably secured to saidbody and formed with a steam generating duct therein to receive theWater supplied to the device, said body being forml ed in its base witha duct for distribution of the steam to the'pressing face perforationsand at the sides With a recess therein having a superheating ductcommunicating with the distributing .duct and generating duct, saidducts being of small cross sectional area in comparison With theirlength.

5. In a pressing implement of the moistening type, the combination of ahollow body, the base of which has a perforated pressing face, a.heating device in said body, and means removably secured to said bodyand being formed with a steam generating duct adapted to receive amoistening fluid, said body having formed in its sides a superheatingduct communicating with the generating duct, and the base With a ductcommunicating With the superheating duct for distributing steam to theperforations of the pressing face.

'In testimony whereof l aix my signature.

LOUS HUFFMAN.

